Play Script - TextHenry VI, Part 1

IntroductionThis section contains the script of Act V of Henry VI, Part 1 the play by William Shakespeare. The enduring works of William Shakespeare feature many famous and well loved characters. Make a note of any unusual words that you encounter whilst reading the script of Henry VI, Part 1 and check their definition in the Shakespeare Dictionary The script of Henry VI, Part 1 is extremely long. To reduce the time to load the script of the play, and for ease in accessing specific sections of the script, we have separated the text of Henry VI, Part 1 into Acts. Please click Henry VI, Part 1 Script to access further Acts.

Script / Text of Act V Henry VI, Part 1

ACT VSCENE I. London. The palace.

Sennet. Enter KING HENRY VI, GLOUCESTER, and EXETER KING HENRY VI Have you perused the letters from the pope,The emperor and the Earl of Armagnac?

GLOUCESTER I have, my lord: and their intent is this:They humbly sue unto your excellenceTo have a godly peace concluded ofBetween the realms of England and of France.

KING HENRY VI How doth your grace affect their motion?

GLOUCESTER Well, my good lord; and as the only meansTo stop effusion of our Christian bloodAnd 'stablish quietness on every side.

KING HENRY VI Ay, marry, uncle; for I always thoughtIt was both impious and unnaturalThat such immanity and bloody strifeShould reign among professors of one faith.

GLOUCESTER Beside, my lord, the sooner to effectAnd surer bind this knot of amity,The Earl of Armagnac, near knit to Charles,A man of great authority in France,Proffers his only daughter to your graceIn marriage, with a large and sumptuous dowry.

KING HENRY VI Marriage, uncle! alas, my years are young!And fitter is my study and my booksThan wanton dalliance with a paramour.Yet call the ambassador; and, as you please,So let them have their answers every one:I shall be well content with any choiceTends to God's glory and my country's weal.

Enter CARDINAL OF WINCHESTER in Cardinal's habit, a Legate and two Ambassadors

EXETER What! is my Lord of Winchester install'd,And call'd unto a cardinal's degree?Then I perceive that will be verifiedHenry the Fifth did sometime prophesy,'If once he come to be a cardinal,He'll make his cap co-equal with the crown.'

KING HENRY VI My lords ambassadors, your several suitsHave been consider'd and debated on.And therefore are we certainly resolvedTo draw conditions of a friendly peace;Which by my Lord of Winchester we meanShall be transported presently to France.

GLOUCESTER And for the proffer of my lord your master,I have inform'd his highness so at largeAs liking of the lady's virtuous gifts,Her beauty and the value of her dower,He doth intend she shall be England's queen.

KING HENRY VI In argument and proof of which contract,Bear her this jewel, pledge of my affection.And so, my lord protector, see them guardedAnd safely brought to Dover; where inshipp'dCommit them to the fortune of the sea.

Exeunt all but CARDINAL OF WINCHESTER and Legate

CARDINAL

OF WINCHESTER Stay, my lord legate: you shall first receiveThe sum of money which I promisedShould be deliver'd to his holinessFor clothing me in these grave ornaments.

Legate I will attend upon your lordship's leisure.CARDINAL

OF WINCHESTER [Aside] Now Winchester will not submit, I trow,Or be inferior to the proudest peer.Humphrey of Gloucester, thou shalt well perceiveThat, neither in birth or for authority,The bishop will be overborne by thee:I'll either make thee stoop and bend thy knee,Or sack this country with a mutiny.

You speedy helpers, that are substitutesUnder the lordly monarch of the north,Appear and aid me in this enterprise.

Enter Fiends

This speedy and quick appearance argues proofOf your accustom'd diligence to me.Now, ye familiar spirits, that are cull'dOut of the powerful regions under earth,Help me this once, that France may get the field.

They walk, and speak not

O, hold me not with silence over-long!Where I was wont to feed you with my blood,I'll lop a member off and give it youIn earnest of further benefit,So you do condescend to help me now.

They hang their heads

No hope to have redress? My body shallPay recompense, if you will grant my suit.

They shake their heads

Cannot my body nor blood-sacrificeEntreat you to your wonted furtherance?Then take my soul, my body, soul and all,Before that England give the French the foil.

They depart

See, they forsake me! Now the time is comeThat France must vail her lofty-plumed crestAnd let her head fall into England's lap.My ancient incantations are too weak,And hell too strong for me to buckle with:Now, France, thy glory droopeth to the dust.

YORK Damsel of France, I think I have you fast:Unchain your spirits now with spelling charmsAnd try if they can gain your liberty.A goodly prize, fit for the devil's grace!See, how the ugly wench doth bend her brows,As if with Circe she would change my shape!

JOAN LA PUCELLE Changed to a worser shape thou canst not be.

YORK O, Charles the Dauphin is a proper man;No shape but his can please your dainty eye.

JOAN LA PUCELLE A plaguing mischief light on Charles and thee!And may ye both be suddenly surprisedBy bloody hands, in sleeping on your beds!

YORK Fell banning hag, enchantress, hold thy tongue!

JOAN LA PUCELLE I prithee, give me leave to curse awhile.

YORK Curse, miscreant, when thou comest to the stake.

Exeunt

Alarum. Enter SUFFOLK with MARGARET in his hand

SUFFOLK Be what thou wilt, thou art my prisoner.

Gazes on her

O fairest beauty, do not fear nor fly!For I will touch thee but with reverent hands;I kiss these fingers for eternal peace,And lay them gently on thy tender side.Who art thou? say, that I may honour thee.

MARGARET Margaret my name, and daughter to a king,The King of Naples, whosoe'er thou art.

SUFFOLK An earl I am, and Suffolk am I call'd.Be not offended, nature's miracle,Thou art allotted to be ta'en by me:So doth the swan her downy cygnets save,Keeping them prisoner underneath her wings.Yet, if this servile usage once offend.Go, and be free again, as Suffolk's friend.

She is going

O, stay! I have no power to let her pass;My hand would free her, but my heart says noAs plays the sun upon the glassy streams,Twinkling another counterfeited beam,So seems this gorgeous beauty to mine eyes.Fain would I woo her, yet I dare not speak:I'll call for pen and ink, and write my mind.Fie, de la Pole! disable not thyself;Hast not a tongue? is she not here?Wilt thou be daunted at a woman's sight?Ay, beauty's princely majesty is such,Confounds the tongue and makes the senses rough.

MARGARET Say, Earl of Suffolk--if thy name be so--What ransom must I pay before I pass?For I perceive I am thy prisoner.

SUFFOLK How canst thou tell she will deny thy suit,Before thou make a trial of her love?

MARGARET Why speak'st thou not? what ransom must I pay?

SUFFOLK She's beautiful, and therefore to be woo'd;She is a woman, therefore to be won.

MARGARET Wilt thou accept of ransom? yea, or no.

SUFFOLK Fond man, remember that thou hast a wife;Then how can Margaret be thy paramour?

SUFFOLK Yet so my fancy may be satisfied,And peace established between these realmsBut there remains a scruple in that too;For though her father be the King of Naples,Duke of Anjou and Maine, yet is he poor,And our nobility will scorn the match.

MARGARET Hear ye, captain, are you not at leisure?

SUFFOLK It shall be so, disdain they ne'er so much.Henry is youthful and will quickly yield.Madam, I have a secret to reveal.

MARGARET What though I be enthrall'd? he seems a knight,And will not any way dishonour me.

SUFFOLK Lady, vouchsafe to listen what I say.

MARGARET Perhaps I shall be rescued by the French;And then I need not crave his courtesy.

SUFFOLK Sweet madam, give me a hearing in a cause--

MARGARET Tush, women have been captivate ere now.

SUFFOLK Lady, wherefore talk you so?

MARGARET I cry you mercy, 'tis but Quid for Quo.

SUFFOLK Say, gentle princess, would you not supposeYour bondage happy, to be made a queen?

MARGARET To be a queen in bondage is more vileThan is a slave in base servility;For princes should be free.

SUFFOLK And so shall you,If happy England's royal king be free.

MARGARET Why, what concerns his freedom unto me?

SUFFOLK I'll undertake to make thee Henry's queen,To put a golden sceptre in thy handAnd set a precious crown upon thy head,If thou wilt condescend to be my--

MARGARET What?

SUFFOLK His love.

MARGARET I am unworthy to be Henry's wife.

SUFFOLK No, gentle madam; I unworthy amTo woo so fair a dame to be his wife,And have no portion in the choice myself.How say you, madam, are ye so content?

REIGNIER Suffolk, what remedy?I am a soldier, and unapt to weep,Or to exclaim on fortune's fickleness.

SU FFOLK Yes, there is remedy enough, my lord:Consent, and for thy honour give consent,Thy daughter shall be wedded to my king;Whom I with pain have woo'd and won thereto;And this her easy-held imprisonmentHath gained thy daughter princely liberty.

SUFFOLK Thanks, Reignier, happy for so sweet a child,Fit to be made companion with a king:What answer makes your grace unto my suit?

REIGNIER Since thou dost deign to woo her little worthTo be the princely bride of such a lord;Upon condition I may quietlyEnjoy mine own, the country Maine and Anjou,Free from oppression or the stroke of war,My daughter shall be Henry's, if he please.

SUFFOLK That is her ransom; I deliver her;And those two counties I will undertakeYour grace shall well and quietly enjoy.

REIGNIER And I again, in Henry's royal name,As deputy unto that gracious king,Give thee her hand, for sign of plighted faith.

SUFFOLK Reignier of France, I give thee kingly thanks,Because this is in traffic of a king.

Aside

And yet, methinks, I could be well contentTo be mine own attorney in this case.I'll over then to England with this news,And make this marriage to be solemnized.So farewell, Reignier: set this diamond safeIn golden palaces, as it becomes.

REIGNIER I do embrace thee, as I would embraceThe Christian prince, King Henry, were he here.

MARGARET That for thyself: I will not so presumeTo send such peevish tokens to a king.

Exeunt REIGNIER and MARGARET

SUFFOLK O, wert thou for myself! But, Suffolk, stay;Thou mayst not wander in that labyrinth;There Minotaurs and ugly treasons lurk.Solicit Henry with her wondrous praise:Bethink thee on her virtues that surmount,And natural graces that extinguish art;Repeat their semblance often on the seas,That, when thou comest to kneel at Henry's feet,Thou mayst bereave him of his wits with wonder.

Exit

SCENE IV. Camp of the YORK in Anjou.

Enter YORK, WARWICK, and others YORK Bring forth that sorceress condemn'd to burn.

Shepherd 'Tis true, I gave a noble to the priestThe morn that I was wedded to her mother.Kneel down and take my blessing, good my girl.Wilt thou not stoop? Now cursed be the timeOf thy nativity! I would the milkThy mother gave thee when thou suck'dst her breast,Had been a little ratsbane for thy sake!Or else, when thou didst keep my lambs a-field,I wish some ravenous wolf had eaten thee!Dost thou deny thy father, cursed drab?O, burn her, burn her! hanging is too good.

Exit

YORK Take her away; for she hath lived too long,To fill the world with vicious qualities.

JOAN LA PUCELLE First, let me tell you whom you have condemn'd:Not me begotten of a shepherd swain,But issued from the progeny of kings;Virtuous and holy; chosen from above,By inspiration of celestial grace,To work exceeding miracles on earth.I never had to do with wicked spirits:But you, that are polluted with your lusts,Stain'd with the guiltless blood of innocents,Corrupt and tainted with a thousand vices,Because you want the grace that others have,You judge it straight a thing impossibleTo compass wonders but by help of devils.No, misconceived! Joan of Arc hath beenA virgin from her tender infancy,Chaste and immaculate in very thought;Whose maiden blood, thus rigorously effused,Will cry for vengeance at the gates of heaven.

YORK Ay, ay: away with her to execution!

WARWICK And hark ye, sirs; because she is a maid,Spare for no faggots, let there be enow:Place barrels of pitch upon the fatal stake,That so her torture may be shortened.

JOAN LA PUCELLE Will nothing turn your unrelenting hearts?Then, Joan, discover thine infirmity,That warranteth by law to be thy privilege.I am with child, ye bloody homicides:Murder not then the fruit within my womb,Although ye hale me to a violent death.

YORK Why, here's a girl! I think she knows not well,There were so many, whom she may accuse.

WARWICK It's sign she hath been liberal and free.

YORK And yet, forsooth, she is a virgin pure.Strumpet, thy words condemn thy brat and thee:Use no entreaty, for it is in vain.

JOAN LA PUCELLE Then lead me hence; with whom I leave my curse:May never glorious sun reflex his beamsUpon the country where you make abode;But darkness and the gloomy shade of deathEnviron you, till mischief and despairDrive you to break your necks or hang yourselves!

Exit, guarded

YORK Break thou in pieces and consume to ashes,Thou foul accursed minister of hell!

Enter CARDINAL OF WINCHESTER, attended

CARDINAL

OF WINCHESTER Lord regent, I do greet your excellenceWith letters of commission from the king.For know, my lords, the states of Christendom,Moved with remorse of these outrageous broils,Have earnestly implored a general peaceBetwixt our nation and the aspiring French;And here at hand the Dauphin and his trainApproacheth, to confer about some matter.

YORK Is all our travail turn'd to this effect?After the slaughter of so many peers,So many captains, gentlemen and soldiers,That in this quarrel have been overthrownAnd sold their bodies for their country's benefit,Shall we at last conclude effeminate peace?Have we not lost most part of all the towns,By treason, falsehood and by treachery,Our great progenitors had conquered?O Warwick, Warwick! I foresee with griefThe utter loss of all the realm of France.

WARWICK Be patient, York: if we conclude a peace,It shall be with such strict and severe covenantsAs little shall the Frenchmen gain thereby.

Enter CHARLES, ALENCON, BASTARD OF ORLEANS, REIGNIER, and others

CHARLES Since, lords of England, it is thus agreedThat peaceful truce shall be proclaim'd in France,We come to be informed by yourselvesWhat the conditions of that league must be.

OF WINCHESTER Charles, and the rest, it is enacted thus:That, in regard King Henry gives consent,Of mere compassion and of lenity,To ease your country of distressful war,And suffer you to breathe in fruitful peace,You shall become true liegemen to his crown:And Charles, upon condition thou wilt swearTo pay him tribute, submit thyself,Thou shalt be placed as viceroy under him,And still enjoy thy regal dignity.

ALENCON Must he be then as shadow of himself?Adorn his temples with a coronet,And yet, in substance and authority,Retain but privilege of a private man?This proffer is absurd and reasonless.

CHARLES 'Tis known already that I am possess'dWith more than half the Gallian territories,And therein reverenced for their lawful king:Shall I, for lucre of the rest unvanquish'd,Detract so much from that prerogative,As to be call'd but viceroy of the whole?No, lord ambassador, I'll rather keepThat which I have than, coveting for more,Be cast from possibility of all.

YORK Insulting Charles! hast thou by secret meansUsed intercession to obtain a league,And, now the matter grows to compromise,Stand'st thou aloof upon comparison?Either accept the title thou usurp'st,Of benefit proceeding from our kingAnd not of any challenge of desert,Or we will plague thee with incessant wars.

REIGNIER My lord, you do not well in obstinacyTo cavil in the course of this contract:If once it be neglected, ten to oneWe shall not find like opportunity.

ALENCON To say the truth, it is your policyTo save your subjects from such massacreAnd ruthless slaughters as are daily seenBy our proceeding in hostility;And therefore take this compact of a truce,Although you break it when your pleasure serves.

WARWICK How say'st thou, Charles? shall our condition stand?

CHARLES It shall;Only reserved, you claim no interestIn any of our towns of garrison.

YORK Then swear allegiance to his majesty,As thou art knight, never to disobeyNor be rebellious to the crown of England,Thou, nor thy nobles, to the crown of England.So, now dismiss your army when ye please:Hang up your ensign, let your drums be still,For here we entertain a solemn peace.

Exeunt

SCENE V. London. The palace.

Enter SUFFOLK in conference with KING HENRY VI, GLOUCESTER and EXETER KING HENRY VI Your wondrous rare description, noble earl,Of beauteous Margaret hath astonish'd me:Her virtues graced with external giftsDo breed love's settled passions in my heart:And like as rigor of tempestuous gustsProvokes the mightiest hulk against the tide,So am I driven by breath of her renownEither to suffer shipwreck or arriveWhere I may have fruition of her love.

SUFFOLK Tush, my good lord, this superficial taleIs but a preface of her worthy praise;The chief perfections of that lovely dameHad I sufficient skill to utter them,Would make a volume of enticing lines,Able to ravish any dull conceit:And, which is more, she is not so divine,So full-replete with choice of all delights,But with as humble lowliness of mindShe is content to be at your command;Command, I mean, of virtuous chaste intents,To love and honour Henry as her lord.

KING HENRY VI And otherwise will Henry ne'er presume.Therefore, my lord protector, give consentThat Margaret may be England's royal queen.

GLOUCESTER So should I give consent to flatter sin.You know, my lord, your highness is betroth'dUnto another lady of esteem:How shall we then dispense with that contract,And not deface your honour with reproach?

SUFFOLK As doth a ruler with unlawful oaths;Or one that, at a triumph having vow'dTo try his strength, forsaketh yet the listsBy reason of his adversary's odds:A poor earl's daughter is unequal odds,And therefore may be broke without offence.

GLOUCESTER Why, what, I pray, is Margaret more than that?Her father is no better than an earl,Although in glorious titles he excel.

SUFFOLK Yes, lord, her father is a king,The King of Naples and Jerusalem;And of such great authority in FranceAs his alliance will confirm our peaceAnd keep the Frenchmen in allegiance.

GLOUCESTER And so the Earl of Armagnac may do,Because he is near kinsman unto Charles.

SUFFOLK A dower, my lords! disgrace not so your king,That he should be so abject, base and poor,To choose for wealth and not for perfect love.Henry is able to enrich his queenAnd not seek a queen to make him rich:So worthless peasants bargain for their wives,As market-men for oxen, sheep, or horse.Marriage is a matter of more worthThan to be dealt in by attorneyship;Not whom we will, but whom his grace affects,Must be companion of his nuptial bed:And therefore, lords, since he affects her most,It most of all these reasons bindeth us,In our opinions she should be preferr'd.For what is wedlock forced but a hell,An age of discord and continual strife?Whereas the contrary bringeth bliss,And is a pattern of celestial peace.Whom should we match with Henry, being a king,But Margaret, that is daughter to a king?Her peerless feature, joined with her birth,Approves her fit for none but for a king:Her valiant courage and undaunted spirit,More than in women commonly is seen,Will answer our hope in issue of a king;For Henry, son unto a conqueror,Is likely to beget more conquerors,If with a lady of so high resolveAs is fair Margaret he be link'd in love.Then yield, my lords; and here conclude with meThat Margaret shall be queen, and none but she.

KING HENRY VI Whether it be through force of your report,My noble Lord of Suffolk, or for thatMy tender youth was never yet attaintWith any passion of inflaming love,I cannot tell; but this I am assured,I feel such sharp dissension in my breast,Such fierce alarums both of hope and fear,As I am sick with working of my thoughts.Take, therefore, shipping; post, my lord, to France;Agree to any covenants, and procureThat Lady Margaret do vouchsafe to comeTo cross the seas to England and be crown'dKing Henry's faithful and anointed queen:For your expenses and sufficient charge,Among the people gather up a tenth.Be gone, I say; for, till you do return,I rest perplexed with a thousand cares.And you, good uncle, banish all offence:If you do censure me by what you were,Not what you are, I know it will excuseThis sudden execution of my will.And so, conduct me where, from company,I may revolve and ruminate my grief.

Exit

GLOUCESTER Ay, grief, I fear me, both at first and last.

Exeunt GLOUCESTER and EXETER

SUFFOLK Thus Suffolk hath prevail'd; and thus he goes,As did the youthful Paris once to Greece,With hope to find the like event in love,But prosper better than the Trojan did.Margaret shall now be queen, and rule the king;But I will rule both her, the king and realm.